San Francisco 49ers: Full seven-round 2019 NFL mock draft
By Justin Fried
After not addressing the receiver position in the first two rounds, the 49ers jump at the chance to select a receiver in the third round and they land an absolute steal in J.J. Arcega-Whiteside.
This class may not be top-heavy at receiver, but there is an abundance of second and third-round talent that project as reliable starting options at the next level. Arcega-Whiteside is a true top-50 talent who could fall in the draft due to the sheer quantity of receivers projected in this portion of the draft.
But make no mistake about it, Arcega-Whiteside is the real deal.
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The Stanford product is perhaps the best contested catch receiver in the class using his basketball background to high-point balls and box out defenders. He is an ideal fit as a big-bodied X receiver whose massive catch radius projects him as a dominant red-zone threat in the NFL.
While he doesn’t have blazing speed and is far from an elite athlete, he has a dominant trait with his contested catch ability and is nuanced enough as a route runner to be a day one starter on the boundary.
The 49ers are desperately in need of a receiver and Arcega-Whiteside brings a skill set that the team doesn’t currently have from any of their receivers. Georgia’s Mecole Hardman was considered with this selection as he was still on the board but I felt his mold was too similar to Marquise Goodwin‘s so I went with the physical Arcega-Whiteside.
San Francisco would gain a major upgrade at the receiver position with the local Stanford product, a true win-win.